5 Things Happy People Let Go Of

By Andrew Walton on October 6, 2014 - Fact checked by Dumb Little Man

by Andrew Walton October 6, 2014

There’s a reason the theme from Frozen is a worldwide hit. People have been finding ways to “Let It Go” for a very long time, but throwing caution to the wind is easier said than done. Often, we are bogged down by the daily worries that life throws at us, but if there’s one secret that genuinely happy people share, it’s that they know how to let stuff go. It may take a while for you to completely change your mindset, but letting go of these can be a good start:

1.Stress.

Sure, everyone needs to go through some level of stress, especially in our jobs. But when we let stress rule our lives and have it affect our personal relationships, we lose our innate happiness. Stress is normal, but it should not be constant. You can stress about a big presentation or a major life event, but never let the stress interfere with who you are. Be joyous and have a bright and cheery heart; don’t let stress surround you. Stress can haunt you and make you a miserable person. People will sense your aura, and if you radiate happiness everywhere you go, happy people will gravitate towards you even more.

2.Toxic people.

No matter how much of a nice person you are, there are and always will be people who won’t like you. They will gossip about you, talk about you behind your back, or even purposely try to cause you some sort of metaphysical pain. These people are toxic, and you are better off without them. Is a so-called friend not being supportive of your dreams and goals? Is an acquaintance constantly trying to bring you down? Is your co-worker shooting down every single one of your ideas and inputs? You will never be able to please everyone, so just do what you can and be the best person you can be. Those who can’t stand it shouldn’t even be around you in the first place. Instead, get rid of the toxic people and build an inner circle of the people who truly bring out the best in you.

3.Age.

Everywhere you look, you see all these anti-aging products and beauty solutions in billboards and magazine ads and television commercials. Hollywood is filled to the brim with actors and actresses who have gone under the knife to look younger than they truly are. Plastic surgery has become so common and so widespread that even girls at an incredibly young age already want to have their noses or breasts done. Multinational companies spend billions and billions of dollars developing and marketing products that will stunt or delay the onset of aging, and reverse the effects of age on the human body. But no matter what that magic serum is, nobody can deny the passage of time. Yes, you will grow old. But growing old is only a state of mind. You can choose to wail over your first gray hair and the emerging wrinkles on your face, or you can celebrate the fact that you’re entering your golden years and that you’ve now become better, wiser, and stronger than you were before. Growing old is a privilege that not everyone is blessed with, so instead of worrying about the circles under your eyes, let it go—you’ll find that when you do, you’ll become even younger than you actually are. That’s the secret to youth right there.

4.The past.

The past is past—it’s over and done with. While events that have occurred certainly still have their repercussions today, you can’t dwell on the past forever and forget about your future. Let go of your anger, your grudges, your mistakes. Instead of punishing yourself over previous endeavors or torturing yourself with what you should have done differently, concentrate on the now. Live for today, because what you do today is what’s going to affect your future. Every day is a gift to start over and do your best, so stop pressing rewind and press play instead.

5.Excuses.

One of the most destructive attitudes in a person is the inability to take responsibility for his own actions. There are people who always make excuses for others and for themselves: “It wasn’t my fault.” “I can’t do it today.” “I wasn’t informed.” “Maybe I’ll do it tomorrow.” “I don’t have what it takes.” “I’m not good enough.” In order to become truly happy with your life, you need to stop making excuses. Own up to mistakes; take responsibility for everything you do. Most importantly, deliver concrete results. Talk is cheap, and excuses only make it worse. Take the first step in making yourself a happier person by doing something about it right now—starting with letting your excuses go.